Apparently, the Model X won't just match the premium-crossover competition, it will "devour" it.

The Model X won't launch until mid-2015--and no one outside Tesla has yet driven it--but Morgan Stanley is confident the plug-in crossover will be more successful than the Model S sedan, according to The Los Angeles Times.

The financial firm's enthusiasm is based in part on the current success of the Model S.

Analysts reason that because Tesla had more resources available to develop the Model X, it should be even better than the Model S, which has received praise from both consumers and the media alike.

How much better? Morgan Stanley predicts the Model X will outsell the Model S by 2016 and "sweep every Car of the Year award on offer by the automotive media."

However, that assumes the Model X will cost just 5 to 10 percent more than the Model S--which starts at $69,900--and include more standard equipment. Thus far, Tesla hasn't discussed Model X pricing at all.

Morgan Stanley also assumes that the Model X will have fewer bugs than the Model S.

This is a topic addressed in quarterly financial calls by CEO Elon Musk, who has said--in effect--that the company learned a lot from the Model S launch and that the Model X production will be able to grow more quickly due to the extra time the company has spent before launch.

Tesla's ability to meet its own deadline makes for a third caveat. Morgan Stanley moederated its enthusiasm a bit by noting that the Model X has already been delayed, and registering surprise that more-extensive testing hasn't started.

The firm qualified its analysis with the disclaimer that it has a financial interest in Tesla, owns some Tesla stock, and has received payment from Tesla for various services--as it has from many other carmakers.